


Incorrect. Please try again.

by glad_er



Category: Proxy Series - Alex London
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4397936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glad_er/pseuds/glad_er
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU where Knox is in Ravenclaw and Egan is in Hufflepuff and they're both on quidditch teams. Also, Knox has some trouble getting into his common room.<br/>(For Proxy & Guardian Appreciation Week)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Incorrect. Please try again.

When eleven year-old Knox Brindle was placed in Ravenclaw, he knew immediately that the Hat had made the right choice. Above bravery, loyalty and cunning, what Knox placed as his top priority was learning. He would fit right in as a Ravenclaw, he thought happily. He didn’t stop to think about what being one would entail.

\-----------

A muddy and wet Knox Brindle stomped up the stairs, Firebolt in hand, after a long and tiring day of batting bludgers. The rain that they had to fly in hadn’t helped much, not to mention the agonising left-to-the-last-minute homework that was about to follow.

Walking up to the eagle knocker, he sighed and asked, “what is it _this_ time?”

“What part of a book is least accepted in society?”

Knox blinked, stunned. That definitely wasn’t the usual sort of question that the eagle asked. Some prankster must have changed the famous Ravenclaw Riddles to funny questions that no one else would be able to answer. Or, it _might_ be possible, that it was just him. Like it always was.

_If only_ , he grumbled internally, _I was in Gryffindor. Or Slytherin, or even Hufflepuff. No wisdom bullshit required, just a simple password._

“What part of a book is least accepted in society?”

“Hold your horses,” Knox muttered, trying to guess the answer and failing miserably.

“Incorrect. Please try again.” The smooth voice coming from the knocker seemed to be mocking him.

“I’m in Ravenclaw because I like learning stuff, I didn’t sign up for this shit!” Knox exclaimed in exasperation.

“Incorrect. Please try again.”

“I swear, one day I’m going to str—”

“Chapter eleven.” Someone called out from behind him, sounding almost amused.

Knox rolled his eyes and spun around, broom swinging in a wide arc as he waved it carelessly.

“Yeah, guys, I can tell when you’re messing with me! How long did it take you to change the riddles?”

No response.

“Nine? Simi?” Knox paused, waiting for someone to say something. “Cheyenne?”

He was so preoccupied with finding whoever had answered his question for him, that he hadn’t noticed the door swinging open to reveal the Ravenclaw common room. He stepped through hurriedly, for fear that the door would close and he would have to answer yet another preposterous question to gain entrance to his common room. Well, that, and to avoid Filch. He did _not_ want to be there when the caretaker found the puddles of water and mud he had left outside.

\----------

If anyone ever said that Knox Brindle purposely went down to the quidditch pitch to check out the Hufflepuff seeker, they would definitely be lying. No, he carried all his books there to finish up on homework due the next day. He was a Ravenclaw, after all. There were certain traditions that he had to uphold, including finishing assignments on time. _If_ anyone caught him staring at that Hufflepuff seeker instead of his books, he’d just say he was… checking out the competition. It wasn’t like he fancied the really good-looking seeker or anything.

The Hufflepuff seeker had joined the team with another boy named Syd, a tall boy whose broom looked like it had seen better days. Together, they were formidable opponents. This time, however, Knox’s gaze was fixed firmly upon the seeker and the seeker alone, who was noticeable even while zooming around due to his rainbow coloured hair.

Knox could’ve sworn that the seeker had flown past him and given him a fleeting glance, before winking.

\----------

When Knox’s Charms teacher asked them for their parchments the next day, he kept his head down. No one needed to know why he hadn’t handed his in.

\----------

“ _Fuck!_ ”

“Incorrect. Please try again.”

“I can’t even remember the question anymore, bloody eagle!” Knox growled, making a rude gesture.

“Which feline loves to swim?”

“Catfish?”

“Incorrect. Please try again.”

Knox threw his hands up in the air, ready to smash the bronze eagle knocker into a million pieces.

“What’s wrong with catfish? It’s a perfectly fine answer!”

Too busy throwing a miniature temper tantrum, he didn’t notice someone quietly sneaking up on him and whispering the words in his ear.

“The answer, white boy,” the stranger said, but not without a touch of fondness in his voice, “is _swampcat_.”

Knox leapt forwards with a yell, shocked and embarrassed to discover that someone had witnessed him having a row with a bronze eagle. He turned around, only to find the very same Hufflepuff seeker with rainbow coloured hair standing before him.

“Egan.”

“In the flesh,” Egan grinned, bowing mockingly.

“You know the answer?” Knox asked, flummoxed.

Egan made a face, before answering, “you’re the only one who doesn’t, honey. This shit kind of applies to us commoners in real life.”

“Honey?” Knox echoed, furrowing his eyebrows. “I’m not—”

“Saw you staring at me during quidditch practice last week, kiddo.”

“I was studying!”

Egan raised his eyebrows. “You were looking at me.”

“Checking out the competition, obviously,” Knox countered, answer readily available.

“Checking out something else, too?” Egan asked mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You wish.” Knox felt a need to end the conversation, before Egan noticed how red his face was getting.

“Oh, I’m running late, I’ve got to go see a boy about a broom.” Egan paused, before continuing, “That’s not innuendo, by the way. Syd’s broom is cracking and I have to persuade him to borrow one before the game.”

“Which one?” Knox asked.

The other boy scoffed. “The one against you guys, of course.”

_Right. The match against Hufflepuff next week._

He turned to walk back down the stairs, before calling out over his shoulder, “see you on the quidditch pitch, beater.”

As he saw Egan’s figure retreating, he yelled after him, “I’m going to kick your ass, seeker!”

When he walked through the threshold to the common room, he could still Egan’s laughter echoing behind him.

\----------

Knox was running late. For _McGonagall’s_ class, a joint one with the Hufflepuff students.

He rushed into an empty classroom, save for one boy in yellow and black robes, with rainbow coloured hair. He was too busy sketching in a notebook ( _muggles_ ) with his quill, which seemed to gradually fade from red to yellow to green, different colours of the rainbow, matching his hair, to notice that Knox had dashed in.

“Egan?”

His head whipped around, and his wide eyes landed on Knox.

“Yeah?”

“Where’s the rest of the class?” Knox asked, bewildered.

Egan shrugged his shoulders, replying, “I came in late. They probably went off somewhere to transfigure a tree or something.”

“And you didn’t try to find them?”

“Nah,” Egan waved a hand around. “How often do we get the opportunity to miss class with a reasonable excuse? It's not like we know where they went. I don't know if you've noticed, but this place is huge. Plus, McGonagall won’t miss us much. Come on, let’s have some fun.”

Knox folded his arms, frowning. “Like what?”

With a wicked grin, Egan stowed away his notebook and took out his wand. “Bet you I can turn more things rainbow coloured than you can.”

“You’re on, seeker.”

\----------

McGonagall stared at them with a steely gaze, asking slowly, “and what made you think it was a good idea to make the classroom one gigantic rainbow?”

“Well, Professor,” Egan began cheekily. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but the United States of America recently celebrated the legalisation of marriage equality.”

Raising an eyebrow, McGonagall replied, “yes, of course. However, I find that your common rooms are most appropriate for these arrangements, not _my classroom_. 10 points each from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Mr Brindle, might I suggest that in the future, you avoid interior design as a career choice? Your rainbows are out of alignment.”

Holy shit, McGonagall was _awesome_.

\----------

“Aaand, Nine drops it. Hufflepuff has the quaffle, in the hands of Syd Carton,” the Slytherin girl, Marie, announced, “he’s going for it, ladies and gentlemen, he shoots… HE SCORES! Ten points to Hufflepuff, with Ravenclaw leading 150-90.”

Knox cursed, swinging his bat at the bludger. It flew off towards yet another catcher that was aiming to score, resulting in the drop of the quaffle.

“The Ravenclaw beater, Knox Brindle, stops catcher Beatrice from scoring with a well-timed bludger,” Marie said.

He saw flashes of rainbow colours in the corner of his eye as Egan zoomed past him, searching for the golden snitch.

Said Hufflepuff seeker turned, winking at Knox. The distraction meant that he failed to notice the other Ravenclaw beater, one of Maes’ friends, hitting a bludger in his direction.

“Look out!” Knox yelled, diving forward, willing himself to reach the bludger in time.

Pushing Egan out of the way, he swung the bat with all his might, making sure that the bludger went anywhere but close to Egan. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned back around to face Egan, who had a stunned look on his face.

“Did you just save me from possible death?”

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that serious a h—”

“You just saved me from possible death.” Egan beamed, his smile growing wider by the second.

Knox felt the tips of his ears turning red, and he rushed to return to the game, with Marie’s voice echoing throughout the quidditch pitch.

“Bludger aimed at Hufflepuff seeker fails to make it mark due to surprise save from Ravenclaw’s own beater, Knox Brindle! Things are looking up for the badgers, with Beatrice in possession of the quaffle. It seems their seeker has also spotted the snitch!”

Knox quickly went back to hitting bludgers at the catcher, trying to make sure Hufflepuff didn’t score more than they already had, but he knew there was no point.

The minute Egan caught the snitch, with Ravenclaw’s seeker not far behind, the people in the stands burst into applause, cheering and hollering.

“He’s got it, ladies and gentlemen, Hufflepuff wins!”

Knox landed in the centre of the field, surrounded by his team. They were clapping politely, disappointed at the loss. The other beater looked ready to punch him in the face, but the others seemed alright with his blunder, knowing that he had prevented a major injury, even if it was for the other team.

The Hufflepuff team was overjoyed, cheering and hugging each other the minute they landed. Players on both teams started shaking hands, congratulating each other.

Egan, on the other hand, walked straight up to Knox, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good game,” Knox remarked, quickly sticking out his hand, waiting for the seeker to shake it.

Egan grasped his hand firmly, before yanking him closer and pressing his lips against Knox’s. Knox could hear cheers and whistles coming from both sides, but nothing seemed to register, because _Egan was kissing him_. His free hand snaked around to bury itself in Egan’s magically soft hair, mixing the orange with blue and red with indigo.

He could feel Egan smiling against his lips. When they parted, both were laughing, eyes focused on each other as their teammates congratulated them, patting them on their shoulders. Knox placed his hands on either side of Egan’s head, pressing their foreheads together gently.

“Hufflepuff seeker and Ravenclaw beater make out on quidditch field!” Marie yelled in delight, pumping a fist in the air.

Knox made sure to shove a middle finger in her general direction.

\----------

As they walked back to the Ravenclaw common room, brooms in their free hands (the other being used to hold each other’s hands), they started talking.

“If you’re a chapter eleven kid like me, how did you _not_ know the answer to that riddle?” Egan inquired.

“Shut up,” Knox answered.

”That can be arranged.” Egan replied, before leaning in to kiss him.

Needless to say, it took them ages to actually get to the common room. Especially since they were interrupted by a bronze eagle knocker. This time, instead of its usual smooth voice, Knox heard laughter coming from its beak that sounded like it was coming from the other side of the door, as well as a familiar voice.

“Who d—”

“Simi, let me say it!”

Several noises followed, before another person spoke.

“Who did Knox Brindle heroically save, then make out with on the quidditch pitch today?”

Knox groaned, and he could tell Egan was struggling to hold back his laughter.

“Oh, come on!”

More giggling. Knox was going to _kill_ his friends.

“Incorrect.” The voice said, breathless from too much laughter. “Please try again.”

**Author's Note:**

> i've been meaning to write this fic for a couple of years now and yup it's here so i hope you enjoy it!! please leave kudos and comment if u can, thank you so much!! (also thanks alex london for answering that one tumblr ask about hogwarts houses)


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